Good Bye, PDCA: I’m Jumping Ship!

The view from our patio door.

Aaahhh….sun, sand & ocean waves. I’m writing from the beach in Florida this week. Jeff’s corporate meetings for the hospital mean a mini-vacation for us. Gotta love it! Listening to the ocean sounds, in my imagination I’m on a ship…we’re being boarded by pirates…no, this IS a pirate ship…and it’s going down…or is it? The crew is bailing furiously…trying to repair the breach…the pirate Captain is screaming orders, trying to maintain control. I’m not hanging around to see what happens…I gotta jump into…Whoa, back into reality! Boy those waves are mesmerizing. Or maybe I’ve just watched Pirates of the Caribbean too many times with my kids.

Accomodations on the corporate dime can be rough.

Whatever the case, reality tells me I need to get off the PDCA ship. Things are very wrong there. Whether or not the ship is sinking remains to be seen, but at least in my opinion, they’re totally losing their credibility as a reputable Dexter registry. Although there are a few Board members trying to do the right thing, they get out-voted by the majority. There are things going on at the leadership level that the general membership ought to be made aware of, yet I doubt the leadership will be forthcoming about their activity. “Member driven” is recited like a mantra, but I’ve come to believe that it’s a farce. So here are a few recent happenings you may be interested in knowing about.

Though the general membership made their voice heard with “The Petition”, leadership chose to completely ignore their members’ wishes, and instead, we seem to have a rogue Captain grasping for power and control. I was told by reliable first-hand sources that at the first board meeting called by the new President, he proposed changing Rosemary’s position as Secretary to that of Executive Secretary so that she could work directly with the President & not have to go through the Board or committees to make decisions. The suggestion by another Board member that the proposal should be taken to the members at the next AGM & an explanation given about what added responsibility & power that would mean was met by much “screeching by Rosemary”, then was firmly voted down. Thankfully, it was pointed out to them that this was a By-Laws amendment and they couldn’t just go ahead & do it….or they probably would have, without giving the membership any say in it. So, how’s that for member driven?!

Pretty suite! Fireplace, window seat & all.

At their second board meeting, the main agenda was to define how Board members & general members could be sanctioned. Sounds kinda like the Captain wants to be able to send people to walk the plank without anyone else interfering. Great! So let me get this straight….Rosemary, who already can’t get registration paperwork turned around in less than 2 months, wants even more responsibility. As Treasurer & Registrar, she already holds practically all the power, but she wants more. Well, heaven help ya’ if you make her mad…you probably won’t be allowed to be part of the Fleharty Private Poodle Club anymore! (Oh, sorry…that wasn’t very nice)

Such a beautiful, soothing ocean view!

Then there’s the matter of integrity in your business dealings. PDCA had contracted with an individual to develop new software to go with the online pedigree. After he had completed the work he was asked to do, the Board decided to not use his program. The system you now see online was developed by someone else. Now, anybody with a conscience knows that you still need to pay the person for the work you hired them to do…and they completed. Not so the PDCA Board! At Rosemary’s direction, they voted to not pay that individual one thin dime!

So, if you or your friends are PDCA members wondering what the “new” leadership will be like, there’s a beginning sampling for you. It’s for you to decide how you want to respond. Jeff & I have decided that we do not want to align ourselves in any way with these people anymore. We have actively resigned our membership & will no longer register any cattle with PDCA. I love my Dexters, and will continue in whatever capacity I can with the ADCA, but I’m gettin’ off this ship. So, Ahoy Mateys! I wish you smooth sailing with your Dexters….
and watch out for pirates!

Published by kimnewswanger

4 thoughts on “Good Bye, PDCA: I’m Jumping Ship!”

Lovely scenery, Kim. Ha! ha! Making waves! 🙂 Actually, I’m very grateful to you for sharing some detailed information with the rest of us who aren’t in a position to know what’s going on. I’ve heard there are “problems,” but no one seems to want to actually say what they are. The ones you have mentioned seem very serious to me. I’m scandalized that they refused to pay the person who created the software. That does not make me, as a simple member, feel very reassured that the PDCA would deal honestly with us.

FWIW,
I received 2 phone calls from PDCA board members after I posted the conference call number for
the last board meeting. I considered it harassment when I got the 2nd call and said I would pursue it legally if the calls did not cease.

I have enjoyed being a member of the PDCA and I really like principles the organization was founded on. Regrettably many of those who are currently in leadership positions have abandoned those principles. The problems you point out are not an all inclusive list. Unfortunately there are more. I haven’t bailed out, yet, partially out of respect for the board members who continue to stand up and do what they feel is best for the breed. I figure I’ll give them a year to kind of see what happens. I am already a member of the ADCA, so if PDCA fails it doesn’t really have an effect on me. I have had better service from the ADCA and like what they are doing to promote the breed anyway.

I asked permission to address the board at their conference call in March. I had been asked to host the AGM for 2011, but I wanted to make sure the board members would support the AGM and not leave me hanging out to dry like they did to the hosts of last year’s AGM. Only a couple of board members (Gabriella Nanci, and Stefani Milman) would commit to supporting the show, and after I hung up I’m told that a discussion ensued as to “Just who’s side is he on?” I don’t see why there should have ever been a question of who’s side I am on, we are all part of the same organization. For the record, I am on the side of Dexter Cattle, and anyone who will stand up to help maintain the purity of the breed. Last I heard the PDCA AGM will be held somewhere in the Mid-West over the summer, without a show. Maybe I can help host a show at some future date.

In the meantime I am focusing my efforts on starting the Rocky Mountain Dexter Breeders Club. It is just that, a club, no registry, and hopefully no politics. When we get to the point that we can host shows, cattle will need to be registered with the PDCA, ADCA, Legacy Registry, or any other recognized Dexter registry. The purpose of the club is to promote Dexter Cattle and the breeders who love them, while educating others about the benefits of Dexters. We hope to introduce the rest of the world to some great breeders who take owning these unique bovines to a whole different level. The truth is, my association with other breeders is what has inspired me to be more active in promoting the cattle we love.

Best of luck to all. I sincerely hope we can have legitimate elections for new board members who will commit to doing what is best for the breed and not just for themselves.

So….it sounds like the Board doesn’t want members to know about or call in on their meetings. I wonder why??

Then Dave has some more math for us to do. It would seem like the Show would be the main draw for the AGM + they want to have the AGM with no Show = hmmmm….they don’t want many members showing up for the AGM?

I would hold on for the sake of Gabriella & Stefani, too, but now Gabriella’s resigned from the Board….poor Stefani! Truth is, our ADCA regional director badly wants someone to take over his position as interim. I’ve spoken with him about it & would like to be available to take over for him. To do so, I’m required to NOT be a member of PDCA, which I was totally cool with! I’m “For Dexters” too, Dave, so I’m going to have a go at it & see if I can make a difference in the decisions made within ADCA.

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A small farm nestled in the mountains of Northeast Kentucky. Here, I’m breeding and raising ADCA-registered Irish Dexter cattle, with a purpose to produce high quality, dual purpose, purebred Dexter breeding stock; and raising/training small family milk cows.

Irish Dexter Cattle

Dexters are a small, tri-purpose cattle breed, being raised for milk, meat and draft. They are not miniature cattle; they were initially bred as a naturally small bovine and they have maintained their small, hardy constitution to the present.